Byron The Aquarius is the jazz house virtuoso making an Impact

With a background in jazz piano, do you have a more band-orientated project lined-up?

I do have that planned and hopefully if I do something live it’ll probably be with Funkineven, probably Apron Records or with Kyle Hall on Wild Oats ‘cos I kinda like Wild Oats because he gives me full freedom as far as dealing with the creativity.

What other artists are inspiring you when it comes to jazz-influenced house music?

Oh, Yussef Kamaal, Henry Wu. From the first time when I saw them play and when I heard their full project, that Yussef Kamaal really just opened my mind. That’s one of my main inspirations. I still bump that in the car.

You posted to Facebook just before the New Year: “Music is about feeling and expression, wish some cats can understand that when they create music….” What was this in response to?

It’s kinda just showing that when you make music it should just be about house music or whatever. It should be about feeling. Like, when I create music it’s like a situation that I went through or even going somewhere, looking at the ocean, anything. It could be an argument. I think that feeling is what makes music sound good [rather] than trying to do it from a perspective that's thinking about money. Because when you doing it just to do it, it’s like, I know a lot of people who are doing it for a trend. It’s kinda like, “This is hot, this is why I’m gonna do it” but when you just do it from feeling then I think more things impact in life

You’re an incredible jazz pianist by trade, when did you start learning to DJ?

I will always say about two years or a year-and-a-half ago ‘cos I started as a musician, then producing. But when I was in Atlanta and floating around I was kicking it watching DJs all the time so I think nowadays it’s really about good taste in music and I think I already kind of had the ears for a good taste of music. It’s kind of just coordinating it and putting it together. Kind of like art, that’s how I look at it. When a person is playing I think it’s like a painting: you’re trying to make the listener go through a journey and take them through a journey of the person [who] painted it on a canvas.

How was your first overseas tour last year?

Oh man, it was a great experience and not only that, but the point that I’d never went overseas before. So it was a huge impact. I made a sacrifice too at the same time because I was dealing with the police force and then I end up leaving that to do the music so in a way it was worth it, it was a sacrifice but it was worth it. I felt like overseas, the Europeans, people kind of appreciate the music a bit more. There’s more of an appreciation and loving it and partying and having fun.

Tell us about your impact mix

I played stuff that gives me inspiration. Tracks and music that I like and music that kind of gets my day moving forward or music that I ride in the car to. I started from playing house music, deep house and also playing some fusion records, some jazz-fusion records and Gil Scott Heron. I started with an atmosphere type of sound and the stuff that I listen to. I was more trying to take the person on a journey.

Louis Anderson-Rich is Mixmag's Digital Intern. Follow him on Twitter